On Sep. 3, UHS Model United Nations (MUN) participated in the 32nd annual South Orange County Model United Nations (SOCOMUN) at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. SOCOMUN brought together students from various schools to engage in diplomatic discussions on critical global issues.

UHS MUN delegates brought back many awards, with freshman Mark Kuang and sophomore Gidget Smith awarded Best Delegate. Freshman Ashvik Nacham, Carmel Tebyani, Alayna Farooquee, Gianna Kim, Anirvinyaa Bangole, Nicca Majdi, Ariana Raetz and  Shuba Senthilkumar received Commendation. Chenyue Zhou, Natalya Vukmanovic, Cameron Weng and Quinne Davis received Outstanding. 

After the opening ceremonies commenced at 9:00 a.m., the event began, featuring a diverse range of topics, including malnutrition, antimicrobial resistance, equal access to education for girls, water quality, gender equality in the workforce and slum upgrading. 

“MUN improves my public speaking skills in a lot of ways, including tone, volume, confidence, gestures, and word choices,” Kuang said. “Confidence makes you sound credible, and an increase in voice makes you sound assertive.”

Novice members of UHS MUN participating in SOCOMUN were supported by a dedicated team of mentors. 

“Managing 14 people that need help within 24 hours of our next conference is challenging, but it is so rewarding to see them be content with their performance during and after committee,” Senthilkumar said. 

SOCOMUN accommodated students of different skill levels through its three committee levels: Freshman, Non-freshman and Advanced. 

“MUN made me more comfortable speaking in other places as well, and it allowed me to be more ethical,” Majdi said.

SOCOMUN committees concluded at 3:15 p.m. and were followed by the closing ceremonies at 3:30 p.m. 

As the first conference of the year, SOCOMUN provided an opportunity for students to collaborate on solutions to pressing global issues, fostering critical thinking and leadership abilities.